Month: April 2009

The astonishing Portuguese muleta

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The astonishing Portuguese muleta fishing boat
– download a larger image here

Rooting around in my pile of old books, I found this illustration, which reminded me of a model of the muleta I saw as a boy in the London Science Museum, which has a fantastic collection of models of craft from around the world.

Here’s the blurb from the book in which I found the illustration, The Story of Sail by GS Laird Clowes and Cecil Trew. It’s well worth reading, for as well as being an interesting historical survival it seems the boat evolved for a kind of drift netting, and that the rig is a highly adjustable means of adjusting both the rate of drift and the boat’s balance before the wind as it slides gently to leeward.

It also suggests that anyone who once seens one of these boats is unlikely to ever forget the sight, and it seems to be true – even when the sighting concerned is only of a model.

Here’s a photo of the Science Museum’s model.

See illustrations of muletas and similar boats here and here.  There’s an excellent description and a small photo in a newsletter published by European Maritime Heritage. I haven’t been aware of this group up to now, but its website says it is a non-governmental organisation for private owners of traditional ships, as well as for maritime museums and other interested bodies.

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John Leather New Blossom small cruiser built and launched at Faversham

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Horatia, built at Faversham to a John  Leather design.
Click on the pictures for larger photos

Bob Telford has kindly passed me these photos of the launch and building of Horatia, Mike Terry’s pretty new boat built at Alan Staley’s yard at Faversham to John Leather’s New Blossom plans. Thanks Bob and congratulations Mike!

She is built from epoxy bonded plywood, sealed with epoxy and traditionally painted.

John Leather, who passed away in 2006, is much missed, not least for his advocacy of old-style boatbuilding and boats through many, many articles and books, and also for his design work. It’s fair to say that his influence has been huge in the traditional boats and boatbuilding world – for a flavour see this notice from the Classic Boat folks.

For more on Leather, read boat builder Jamie Clay’s obituary at the Albert Strange Association website.

Alan Staley can be contacted at 01795 530668, alanstaleyboatbuilds@dsl.pipex.com.

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Motor launch Louise is ribbed out

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Louise gets her new ribs

Hampshire-based and Devon-trained boatbuilder Nick Smith has sent us some more photos of his current 16ft clinker-built motor launch project, Louise. This time he’s steaming and fitting her ribs, a process that would be recognised by boatbuilders going back many centuries.

‘Hi Gav

Louise is now ribbed out: the oak timbers, approxiamately 3/4  by 5/8in went in the steam box when steam was up, and cooked for the best part of an hour – the rule of thumb is an hour per square inch cross section, but it depends on the moisture content. ‘Green’ – almost straight off the tree – is best.

An hour and three quarters later we were done, including a beer break to put the second batch in the box.

The next job is to rivet all the copper nails , then gunl’s, risers, knees, breasthook and engine beds.

I went to the Beaulieu Boat Jumble yesterday and picked up, among other things, a period pattern matching pair of bronze fairleads, likewise a foredeck cleat, a bronze bilge pump and deck filler fitting, all to match the era of the design.

Thats it for now, more in a couple of weeks.

Nick’

Thanks Nick – I really like to see these projects progressing.

Click here for an earlier post about this project. If you don’t already know him, Nick comes from Devon and specialises in new builds in clinker and carvel for sail, motor and rowing power from 8ft to 28ft with a special emphasis on West Country style and design, and also takes on repairs and refits from 25ft to 50ft. He can be contacted by email at nick_smith_boatbuilder@yahoo.com and by phone on phone on 07786 693370.

For some photos of Nick’s boats at last year’s Beale Park Thames Boat Show, click here. Nick tells me he’s be at the show again this summer, so if you’re interested it might be wise to put the dates 5th-7th June in your diary…

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